Handmade Tile: 2009.03

Today in the Studio: Gorgeous Blue Koi Fish Tiles

Beautiful blue Koi pond from our Kyoto collection. These tiles will grace a new custom shower in the "Morning Glory Room" at the Shanti House, a gorgeous Bed & Breakfast on our own island. The image is inspired by the serenity of a Japanese garden in spring, with the young willow fronds just brushing the surface of clear water. The koi, willow frond, and stylized ripple pattern are all designs traditionally found in Japanese textiles; Kimono silks in particular often have seasonally themed motifs. UPDATE: See these tiles installed, here. To view the artist's inspirations for this tile, click here.

Green Design Maven

Rachel over at Path Design recently did a lovely feature on us in her green design blog. Thanks Rachel! Rachel is a talented interior designer and entrepreneur with a passion for things green. Her firm is on the leading edge of green design in Orange County, California. Visit her here to experience her flair for the eco-friendly!!

Today in the Studio: Hand Made Buttons & Bowls in Spring Colours

The two Blossom Bowls are for a client. The buttons are just for fun! They are shown here after glazing but before firing. I'm anticipating selling even more Blossomware in the next few months - the gentle but vivid flower colours are SO yummy and perfect for a Spring table (think Easter, Mother's Day, etc...)

Today in the Studio: Sea Shell & Sand on Hand Made Tile

Here are the sea shell tiles fresh out of the kiln. I'm pleased with how convincingly sandy the glaze is! The shell motifs were cast from actual shells that a client picked up on the beach on Jeju Island (a subtropical island off the south coast of Korea). The tiles, installed in her powder room, will be a welcome reminder of warm beaches through our grey west coast winters. Purchase these tiles here.

Terra Home Architectural Ceramics

All of our tiles are designed and created here, in the Terra Home studio. Each piece is made by hand, with care and love invested in each step of our labour-intensive, traditional process. Our tiles are grouped in collections, with different themes, to complement different design schemes:

Kyoto
Inspired by the natural serenity of the Japanese garden, these tiles, in colours of stone and lichen, feature koi fish, plum blossoms, bamboo, pine, and Buddhist imagery. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEAR SHEET OF THE KYOTO COLLECTION.

Alhambra
Inspired by the timeless beauty of Moorish architecture, this collection of rich cobalt and turquoise tiles feature stylized floral motifs and traditional arabesque patterns. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEAR SHEET OF THE ALHAMBRA COLLECTION.

Firenze
With motifs drawn from the designer’s Italian sketchbooks, these tiles, in rich colours of marble and plaster, feature designs borrowed from Renaissance stone carving. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEARSHEET OF THE FIRENZE COLLECTION.

Hanabi
Inspired by the modern sophistication of Japanese textile design, these unusual tiles feature stylized chrysanthemums, waves, and cherry blossoms, in a soft but colourful palette reminiscent of antique kimono silks. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEARSHEET OF THE HANABI COLLECTION.

Italian Sketchbook
A more whimsical take on the Italian theme, these wax-resist decorated tiles feature charming line drawings which capture the essence of the Tuscan kitchen and countryside.

Hacienda
Inspired by the courtyard gardens of Old Mexico, the bold graphics and floral motifs of these tiles capture the brilliant colours of the tropics. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE TEARSHEET OF THE HACIENDA COLLECTION.

Vancouver Island
Inspired by the natural beauty of the Northwest Coast that surrounds us every day at Terra Home, the relief images on these hand pressed tiles are cast from actual natural objects gathered from forests and beaches.

In addition, we produce a full line of hand pressed field (plain) tiles in various shapes and sizes, including 4” square, 4” hex, and 3” x 5” traditional subway, as well as border, corner, and listello tile for most applications.

We are happy to work with you on your installation. Projects are priced individually, depending on glaze choices, custom elements, design time, and deadline. Visit our "How to Order" page for more info on ordering. We are happy to provide you with a quote for your project. We also offer fully custom project design. For a quote, contact bronwyn@linguaterratile.com

Welcome to Terra Home!

Exquisite Artisan Tile
From our sunny post-and-beam studio nestled in meadow and forest on lovely Denman Island, we send our traditionally made artisan tiles across North America. We offer hundreds of original designs in six gorgeous collections. Along with our exquisite decorative relief tiles, we create hand painted accent tiles, tile murals, field tile in square, hex, subway, and mosaic, as well as borders and listellos. Custom design is a specialty. We believe in quality, tradition, sustainability, beauty, craftsmanship, and an artful approach to life and business. Our website and blog is designed as a resource for our friends and clients, and anyone interested in creating a more beautiful, serene, hand-made, and eco-positive living space.

testimonials

"I get wonderful compliments every time someone comes into the kitchen. In addition, the tile installer stated it was the very BEST quality of tile she ever worked with!! Thank you so much for your talent and vision!!" R.M., New Jersey, 2008.
View this job here.

"Your tiles are the highlight of our kitchen!" B.C., Florida, 2008. View this job here.

"The tiles are SO worth the wait! They are absolutely exquisite; there is no way that their beauty and uniqueness could possibly be captured on a computer monitor. They are so gorgeous." E.H., Connecticut, 2009.

"Thanks again so much for the gorgeous tiles. I'm especially enjoying the many ways the Koi and Willow tiles can work together. I've really appreciated working with you both..." J.H., Colorado, 2007.

"Thank you so much for everything! We were delighted with the ease and enjoyment of the custom design process..."
M.G., Ontario, 2008. View this job here.

"The clients already had a stone back splash installed in their butler's pantry when I was brought in on the job, and were really unhappy with how monolithic it looked. I suggested an insert of your tile, and now they LOVE how it looks..." R.H., California, 2007. View this job here.

"I received the box of tiles yesterday... The colors of your glazes are so beautiful! You do good work with your art. Thank you so much. You inspire me to work in clay!" J.A., Colorado, 2009.